30 “TAKE” Phrases in English

"We're not gonna take it.

No, we ain't gonna take it.

We're not gonna take it anymore."

That's one of the songs I could think of with the word "take", so that's what you're getting

today.

Hey, everyone.

I'm Alex.

Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this lesson on 30-3-0; you guys see 30, right?

3-0 - 30-common "take" phrases in English.

So, this is going to really help you develop your vocabulary and your ability to understand

English conversations, whether you're watching movies, listening to YouTube videos, or listening

to conversations on the street; and it will help you sound a lot more natural so you're

not making, you know, common mistakes or you're using the incorrect verb with some of these

phrases.

Because sometimes people mix up "take" and "make", for example, and "have" even.

So, today let's look at "take".

So, the first long list of phrases refers to, you know, taking some time for yourself,

like: "Take a break".

At work, if you...

You know, you go for lunch or you're working for two hours, three hours, and you need 10

minutes to relax, you can: "Take a break".

Take a coffee break or take a cigarette break, if you're smokers, for example.

And you can also: "Take some time off".

So, if you are sick and you need to, you know, be away from work for a few days, maybe a

few months in some cases - you need to take some time off; some people go on stress leave,

for example, because they are too stressed at work, for example.

So, you can "take some time off".

This is another way to also say, you know: "Take a vacation" or "Take a holiday".

So, go to a place that you want to visit on your vacation, so that's: "Taking a vacation",

"taking a holiday", "take some time off", "take a break".

Next: "Take a shower", "take a bath".

You can also say: "Have a shower", "have a bath", but usually when I'm telling someone

in my house that I need to shower or I need to bathe, usually the verb I use is: "I'm

gonna take a shower."

Okay?

So: "I need to take a shower."

You can also use "have", so it's not wrong.

I just use "take" a lot more often, and I think most people use "take" more often.

I think that's right.

If you disagree, tell me in the comments.

"Take a walk" or "go for a walk".

So, if you just want to tell your friends or your family that you are going to go outside

and enjoy the park, enjoy nature, enjoy the sun, you can say: "I'm gonna take a walk."

Okay?

"I'm going to go for a walk" or "I'm going to take a walk".

All right?

Next, if you have a phone or you're watching this right now on your phone, you can probably,

you know, turn this off and "take a photo" with your phone of someone or something.

So: "Take a picture", "take a photo".

If you're on public transportation, don't take photos of strangers.

Just don't; it's weird.

Just keep watching this video.

Hi.

Is someone watching this right now?

Hey, stranger.

Yeah.

Stop looking at this guy's phone; it's wrong.

Next, you can "take a pill" or "take medicine" if you are sick.

So, stuff...

Stuff like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

Acetametametaphin?

However you say that one, it comes in a little tablet or a pill.

All right?

So, a "tablet" is usually the round one, and "pills" usually have stuff inside.

They all have stuff inside; basically medicine.

Okay?

You have cough medicine, comes in syrup form, it's a liquid form; and you also have the

little tablets or pills.

So: "Here, take a pill.

Here, take an ibuprofen.

Take some medicine."

"Take a course".

So, if you are studying somewhere: "Oh, what are you taking?

What classes are you taking in university, or college, or high school?

Which classes are you taking this session?" for example.

So, you can take a course, take a class, take a program.

You can also: "take a nap".

You cannot, cannot "take a sleep", but you can "take a nap".

A "nap" is a short period where you are resting and sleeping in the afternoon.

A "siesta".

So, if you know that word, it's the same idea with a nap; take a short sleep in the afternoon

because you're tired, or after work.

"Take an interest in someone" or "something".

So, if you develop a new hobby, for example, like let's say suddenly you are really interested

in cooking, you can say: "Huh, I have taken an interest in cooking."

So, you have shown interest; you have a new interest, and you are starting a new hobby.

You take interest in cooking in this particular example.

You can also take an interest in someone; maybe someone you are interested in romantically,

for example.

Or maybe you are interested in studying a historical figure, so you have taken an interest

in Genghis Kahn, for example.

Say: "Huh, I took an interest in Genghis Kahn when I was in university", for example.

I keep saying "for example" - I'm sorry.

It gets repetitive.

"Take a look", "take a peek".

So, if you take a look at something-I'm just going to hide "peek" for now-"take a look

at something", it means that you examine something or you simply look at it, so it can have...

It can have two slightly different meanings, so if a friend wants to show you a video on

their phone...

Don't you love those people that just want to show you YouTube videos?

That's not annoying, right?

It's like: -"Hey.

Watch this for five minutes."

-"Oh, I have to.

Okay.

It's my lunchtime, but I'll watch this video that you're asking me to take a look at.

Yeah.

Still...

Yeah, okay, it's funny.

Yeah.

Take your phone away."

So, yeah, so "to take a look".

"Hey, take a look".

It just means: "Look", okay?

You can also examine something, so to take a look at something.

So, if your computer is having problems, maybe you need someone who, you know, knows something

more about computers to take a look at your computer.

Say: "Hey, my email isn't working" or "Uh, this program doesn't start.

Can you take a look?

Can you examine, investigate, see what's going on?"

"Take a peek".

So, "peek" is like this.

Right?

"No peeking".

Right?

I am peeking.

So, if you "take a peek", you take a quick look.

Okay?

So, a look or a quick look.

Next: "take a risk", "take a chance".

Try something that puts you, you know, in danger maybe a little bit.

You have some chance of something negative happening to you in return, but you can "take

a risk", "take a chance".

Studying a new language is a risk; you don't know if you're going to be good at it, you

don't know if the time you're investing sometimes is going to be worth it.

In the end, hopefully it is.

Like, for me, I'm studying French, and I'm taking a risk, but I'm enjoying it so far.

It's good.

Next.

So, these two are related.

If you have seen my video on eating vocabulary, I mention these two there: "take a bite" or

"take a sip".

So, "to take a bite"...

By the way, you can also use "have": "have a bite", "have a sip".

If you take a bite, you try a small piece of something, like: "Oh, take a bite of pizza"

or "take a bite of a sandwich".

That's how you bite, like that.

Okay?

"Take a sip".

So, "take a sip" means take a small drink of something, so take a sip of my coffee or

have a sip of my coffee, or of tea, or of water.

Anything liquid.

Sometimes you sip because the drink is very hot, or sometimes you offer someone to take

a sip because you want them to try the thing that you have.

All right, so how many do we have here?

One, two, three...

It's a lot.

We have a lot.

We have a lot.

So, we have a bunch more to do, so let's continue the video.

Okay, next: "take part in something".

This means you participate in something.

So, you can "take part in an event", you can "take part in a play" if you are in the theatre,

for example.

You can "take part in a group activity at work", okay?

So you participate; you take part in a class.

Right now you are all taking part in an English lesson on the internet.

Next: "take advantage of something" or "of someone", so you use something or someone

for your benefit.

This can have a negative meaning or a positive meaning.

So, you can take advantage of an opportunity, for example.

So, if you see an advertisement online for a job that you think is going to be great

for you, you can take advantage of that opportunity and you can receive the benefits from that

opportunity.

If someone "takes advantage of you", they can take advantage of your kindness, they

can take advantage of your financial situation, for example.

Maybe they use you for money, or they use you because you have a car and you can drive

them places.

So, if someone takes advantage of you, they use you for their benefit because they are

getting something from you.

So, that's bad.

Next: "take your time".

Don't rush; do it step by step.

Take your time.

Next: "take back something" or "take something back".

This means to return something to its rightful place.

So, if you take back...

Well, we don't have rental services for movies anymore.

The library - perfect.

All right, so if you borrow a book from the library, you must return the book to the library.

Right?

So you take the book back to the library.

You can also ask someone to take back their words or their negative intentions towards

you.

So, if someone says: "You are a horrible person!" and you say: "Take it back."

Okay?

Like, take it back; return it inside your body and your heart; you did not mean that.

This means that, you know, you are asking somebody to return their words as if they

didn't happen.

Maybe in the future when we can control time or, like in Infinity War with the Time Infinity

Stone, you can go back and they can...

You can force them to take back their words - maybe.

Good movie, the Infinity War movie with The Avengers.

Next: "take a load off".

So, this is an expression that you say to someone if you want them to, you know, come

into your room or into your house, and you want them to relax.

So, you invite them into your house, they look tired, and you say: "Take a load off".

"A load" is something heavy that you are carrying.

Now, this is an idiomatic "load"; this is something, you know, if you look like you're

carrying something heavy or you're tired, or maybe you're sick - someone can invite

you to take a load off, and you go sit on the couch, and you just relax and just take

a load off.

Okay?

"Take it easy" - this can have a couple of different meanings.

The most common one, obviously is, you know: "Relax.

Don't stress yourself.

Don't work so hard."

You're like: "Take it easy.

Calm down.

Be calm."

You can also use this when you're saying "goodbye" to someone.

You can say: "Hey, Frank.

All right, see you tomorrow.

Yeah.

Take it easy."

This means like, you know, you wish that their life is going to be relaxed, without stress.

No stress; just nice and easy.

"Take it or leave it".

So, if you are offering someone something and you're giving them, you know, the opportunity

to take this thing, like if you have $20 and you want to buy something from someone, like

let's say you want to buy a new phone.

Right?

And you say: "$20.

Take...

Take the money or leave it.

Give me the phone for $20, you can take the money or I'm going to take the money back."

So: "Take it or leave it" is a very hard way to say: "This is my final offer, and you can

take it or you can leave it.

I don't care."

Okay?

So, take it with you or I'm going to take it back.

So, "take it or leave it" so take my offer or reject it; I don't care.

Right?

Next: "take the lead".

So, this is commonly used in sports; it's also used in business, but if a team...

You know, you have a team that has one goal in a soccer game, you have another team that

has another goal...

That's a terrible way to say that.

One-one is the score.

Okay?

And then one team scores, that team takes the lead.

Okay?

So now they have two-one.

If it's two-one and this team just scored, they have taken the lead.

So, you can take the lead.

You can also take the lead on a team, or in a business, or in a company.

If you show initiative, if you show that you want to, you know, be the leader, you take

the lead, you say: "Follow me, everyone.

I am going to take the lead.

I'm the person in front."

Okay?

So the person in front takes the lead.

Next, so to "take off clothes" or "glasses", or anything that you can wear on your body

- this means to remove clothes or remove your glasses.

"Take off your shoes", "take off your socks", "take off your earpieces or headset", if you

have a headset.

So, you can take off or remove anything that is on your body.

The opposite is "put on".

Okay?

So, you put on your jacket, put on your shoes, put on your socks.

Hopefully you put on your socks before your shoes - that's usually the proper order.

The other way seems counterintuitive, but let's keep going.

So, finally: "take steps towards something".

So, this means that you are doing the necessary things you need to do to achieve a goal; a

specific target that you have.

So, right now you, by watching this video, are taking steps towards improving your English.

You are taking steps towards guaranteeing success in your personal life, or your professional

life, or your academic life.

And hopefully this video has helped you to take more steps towards reaching those personal,

academic, or professional goals.

That's it.

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